Surf and Turf
by Rassilon001
Summary: A peaceful trip to the beach for Teams RWBY and JNPR. Babes, bikinis, barbecuing, and even some battling. Fun for all to be had.


**Disclaimer:  
**I do not own RWBY. It belongs to Monty Oum and the crew at RoosterTeeth, whom are far more awesome than I could ever hope to be. By like, entire leagues.

**Summary:  
**A peaceful trip to the beach for Teams RWBY and JNPR. Babes, bikinis, barbecuing, and even some battling. Fun for all to be had. Rated PG just to be on the safe side for some action violence and partial nudity. Takes place sometime after "Players and Pieces" and anytime during the first year at school.

* * *

Glistening clear waves. Soft rolling dunes. Pristine white sands.

In other words: the beach.

Standing on the edge of the sandy expanse that stretched out before her, Ruby Rose, first year Beacon student and future Huntress, watched the waves come crashing down softly against the coastline. She listened to the seagulls overhead. And she felt the warmth of the rising sun on her pale skin. The rocks here were a dark hue of green, almost like jade, and cast a tint over the water that gave it an ethereal beauty to it. And it was absolutely beautiful here. Breathtaking even. The kingdom of Vale didn't have many beaches this pristine and untouched, and there had been even fewer back in her hometown. So it was truly a privilege for students of Beacon to be able to visit a place like this on their time off, since it wasn't too far from the Academy grounds.

Naturally, Ruby approached this with all the solemn nature and good grace only a fifteen-year old girl was capable of.

"Woohoo! Last one in is a rotten Grimm!"

Yang barely had time to blink as a red cloak was thrown in her general direction, catching it belatedly as her hyperactive little sister took off for the waters, tearing across the short stretch of sandy beach in almost no time at all. The future Huntress was wearing a simple swimsuit in lieu of her normal dress and corset, a crimson one-piece with black highlights. Privately, Yang thought she looked a lot like a lifeguard... but then again, that might have been a good comparison for her little sister.

At least she'd left that darn whistle of hers back in their shared dorm room.

"Cannonbaaaaallll!"

With a mighty leap, Ruby was now airborne, tucking her legs against her chest and wrapping her arms around them as she came back down into the shallow waters with a mighty splash, sending miniature waves all up and down along the water front.

Yang gave a slightly exasperated sigh as her other two partners in Team RWBY flanked her, Weiss on her left, Blake on her right.

"Is she... always like this?" asked Blake casually. She was dressed in a black two-piece bathing suit, simple and unadorned, which left her toned midsection bared. A dark, semi-transparent skirt was wrapped around her slender hips and knotted on one side. And, for reasons Yang couldn't quite fathom, was _still_ wearing that darn bow amidst her black tresses.

Yang gave a great shrug. "Pretty much, yeah," she confirmed.

The busty older sister was wearing beach tights and a tube top, which were colored a bright shade of pumpkin orange and clung to her ample curves like a second skin. She gave quite a bounce as she hopped off the path and onto the beach proper, slipping on her aviator shades to cut down on the glare of the rising sun. Behind her, Blake and Weiss followed, the latter in a one-piece suit of pristine white. She was the only one of the girls wearing any sort of footwear in the form of some fancy white sandals that laced up along her ankles, and a wide-brimmed white hat covered the top of her head. Her long, luxurious white locks had been let down for the informal occasion.

As occasions went, few were less formal than this. After the success with the Initiation in the Emerald Forest, Team RWBY had bonded. While anxious to test out their skills again in more practical settings at Beacon Academy, Yang had come up with a better idea: getting to know one another in a casual setting first.

"We're going to be like family now," the blonde had explained to her teammates, having some experience with the situation. "So we might as well get to know one another better."

And since it was still early in the year and summer was only just starting to fade into autumn, they'd proposed a trip to the beach over the weekend to cement their friendship and bond as friends. Team JNPR had come along as well, as soon as Jaune had overheard he'd insisted they join in the fun and team-building. Quite frankly, it was always good to have more friends at any fun occasion. The more the merrier after all.

Glancing back over her shoulder, Yang watched in amusement as Jaune could be seen collapsing under a pile of folded up beach chairs and umbrellas, while Pyrrha and Nora giggled and Ren looked on quietly. A beach ball bounced past him as the blonde boy sighed in weary resignation. The dark-haired member of Team JNPR was rolling along a mobile grill they'd be using for lunch, parking it along the sand where the other students had started to set up their beach towels and chairs. They were all dressed for the occasion: Jaune was in a pair of navy blue swim trunks and an open white t-shirt, and Ren in a green speedo and absolutely nothing else. Both their female teammates were wearing skimpy bikinis, gold for Pyrrha with dull red highlights and a ruffled pale pink for Nora. Nora was even, for some inconceivable reason, wearing a pair of pink floaties around her arms.

At the end of the path, just before the beach, Miss Glynda Goodwitch sat on a beach chair as far from the sand, surf, and sun as possible. When she'd also heard of the outing being planned, she'd insisted on coming along as chaperone. Mostly, she was keeping to herself though, and hadn't even put on a bathing suit of her own. Clearly, she did not plan on enjoying this trip the way the students were. Then again, some wondered if she ever truly enjoyed much of anything.

_It could have been worse though_, Yang mused. They might've been saddled with Professor Peter Port as their chaperone instead. Yang shivered at the very thought of it. She'd rather fight a Grimm with one arm tied behind her back.

By this time, Ruby had already re-surfaced from her dive and was sprinting back across the beach towards her fellow students, getting sand stuck to the bottom of her feet as she caught up to her teammates in leaps and bounds.

"Come on come on come oooon! The day isn't going to last forever, let's go!" she hollered, grabbing Weiss' wrist in both her hands and trying to drag the pale Schnee heiress down to the waters.

She would have none of it, however, as Weiss yanked her hand free of Ruby's enthusiastic grip. "Not yet! I can't go in until I've had a chance to apply my lotion! I happen to burn very easily in the daylight," she explained.

"Well then come on, get out your lotion and I'll help you with it!"

The two girls hurried over to Weiss' towel, which bore the white snowflake logo she put on everything she owned (and her family owned, and her company owned...). The slender girl knelt down before Ruby so she could have the lotion applied to her neck and back while she administered it to her arms. Ruby might've been a little on the pale side, but Weiss was positively made of ivory, just about one shade short of being an albino.

"Don't forget your lotion too, Ruby!" Yang called out. Last time she'd gotten sunburned it hadn't been a pleasant experience.

"Ugh, fine, MOM!"

Satisfied her little sister was attended to, Yang lay out her towel, bright yellow with a black flame motif, on the hot sands. She then lay down on it, applying her own suntan lotion on her exposed skin. Although she wasn't nearly as pale as her adopted sister, she still did burn quite easily, and she hated the idea of getting her perfect skin ruined.

Nearby, Pyrrha bent at the waist to give her towel a quick snap of the wrist, laying it out flat as it floated down onto the ground. When she rose back up, Jaune neatly slid over to her side, suntan lotion in hand.

"So, Pyrrha," he said, trying to sound suave. "It uh... sure is bright out today, isn't it?"

"Uhm... yeah, it certainly is," she replied hesitantly.

"It uh... would be a shame if you got such lovely skin damaged by sunburn."

"I guess so," she said more evenly, guessing as to his intent now.

"Can I, uh... help you with that?"

"I uh... I think I'm covered actually," said Pyrrha. "I'm from much closer to the equator, I don't burn that easily," she explained.

"Oh, well, yeah, that's just... that's just fine," the blonde swordsman replied nervously, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "Just, uh, well... c-can't be too careful, you know, right?"

"Well, I do suppose that's true," she said, nervously tucking some crimson hair behind her ear.

She was about to accept his offer when Nora bounded over to her side and tugged her fellow redhead teammate aside, loudly talking about any number inane topics as the two of them began to protect their skin from the sun's rays. Leaving Jaune standing their slack-jawed, with Ren by his side looking mildly amused.

Jaune glanced over at his remaining teammate, then grimaced. "I think I'll get my own back, thanks."

Utterly unphased, Ren continued his work, having already taken care of his own sunblock. He rolled out the grill onto the sand and proceeded to set it up, laying a number of buns on the side and making sure everything was needed for when lunch rolled around.

* * *

Sufficiently protected from the sun's rays mere moments later, Ruby and Weiss were among the first back in the water, though Yang, Pyrrha, Nora and Jaune quickly joined them. A splash fight broke out within minutes, though no teams seemed to be prevalent as each student worked to make everyone but themselves as wet as possible in short order. Naturally, within minutes they were all fairly soaked.

"Haha! Victory will be mine!" shouted Ruby, splashing everyone in equal measure, but savoring her best water blasts and waves for her big sister Yang, who looked positively drenched in saltwater by the time the impromptu splash battle was over. Laughing, the blonde brushed her soaking wet hair out of her face, slicking it back behind her head.

"Don't count on it!" she crowed, launching herself at her little sister and bearing her down into the waters. The two re-surfaced moments later, laughing loudly.

Jaune was also laughing at the sight, almost doubled over, clutching at his stomach. This changed a moment later when both Ruby and Yang tackled him from either side and bore him down into the water.

"Hey, wait, whoa-whoa-whoaaaaaah!"

All three went down with a mighty splash. The two sisters were up again and laughing before too much longer, and quickly went after a new pair of targets, Nora and Weiss, the latter of whom immediately cut her losses and ran shrieking back towards the shallows while the former continued to float blissfully unaware on her back in the water, gazing up at the clouds.

Pyrrha lingered a moment as Jaune continued to spit water out of his mouth, evidently having swallowed quite a lot of it. The sunlight reflected off his glinting figure as he stood up and stretched, making sure all of his limbs were in their correct place after such a humiliating defeat.

"Nice," she murmured appreciately.

Say what you wanted to about Jaune's clumsiness and lack of confidence (something Pyrrha theorized was truly the problem behind his troubles in the field of combat) but there was now absolutely no doubt in anyone's minds the boy was cut. Working out as he did to become a future Huntsman did wonders to build up muscles and tone the form, and though he was short of having a six pack, Pyrrha was positive she could grate cheese against a build like that. In fact, the term boy was almost an insulting label for the seventeen-year-old _young man_ Pyrrha was currently enjoying the view of. Emerald eyes committed the sight to memory, not sure when she'd have another chance like this.

"Mmmmm..."

* * *

After the initial frenzy of intense fun in the sun and water, things quieted down a bit to more leisurely activities. Mostly consisting of the girls finding their respective beach towels and laying out to catch a tan, and the boys finding every excuse they could to peek without being blatantly obvious about it. Well, Jaune certainly was at least. With Ren it was a little harder to tell. Because if he was, he was much better at not getting caught doing it.

Nora had gone for a walk along the beach. She was just about to turn back when the pink-clad girl spotted a glinting fragment of white in the ground by her feet. In a flash she was there to get a closer look.

"Ooooh," cooed Nora, entranced by the small seashell. She picked it up, turning it over in her hand. It looked perfectly flawless. And in that instant, an idea struck her.

Always one to favor action over thought, Nora began to move. Swiftly she was in motion, a blur of energy in shades of bright pink and warm auburn, zipping back up the beach to get her things, then back down to the edge, right where the water met sand, and the latter had a muddy consistency to it. Using a shovel and pail (and where had she even gotten those?) she started to pile sand in very specific shapes, scooping out what she didn't need, shaping what she wanted with her hands and the tiny shovel. Moving in a blur almost too fast to follow, she was done with her masterpiece in mere moments.

"Ta-da!" she proclaimed, arms outstretched in pure joy.

Most of the other students had started to gather around by this time, drawn by curiosity of the excitable girl's work. They peered down at it with various expressions of confusion and uncertainty, not entirely certain what they were looking at.

"What... is it?" asked Ruby, puzzled.

"Is it a castle?" mused Weiss aloud. The general shape seemed about right.

"It's Beacon!" Nora exclaimed. "See? _This_ is main hall, and _this_ is cliffside over here, and right _here_ where the shell is, is the window on the side of the big cathedral place where we all had our big sleepover!" she said, pointing out each point as she went over it. "It should be more green, but I can't find any paint... maybe I should use seaweed..."

"Oooooh," they said, seemingly in unison. Some to humor the Valkyrie, others in genuine understanding. Ruby peered more closely at the sand structure, kneeling down so it was closer to her eye level. From this angle, it did indeed look a little more like Beacon Academy. Training ground for future Huntsmen and Huntresses and their collective home for the next four long years.

"Maybe seaweed would be a good idea," said Ruby. "For the Emerald Forest?"

"Exactly!" exclaimed Nora, grateful someone could see her vision.

"I'm... still not quite sure I see it," said Jaune, chin in hand as he studied the sand structure, tilting his head to and fro to study it from different angles. _What was he missing?_

"Be nice!" muttered Yang, punching Jaune gently in the shoulder. Unfortunately, the busty blonde didn't quite know her own strength, and sent the young swordsman off-balance to crash into Ruby. The tiny girl was almost half-flattened under the much taller swordsman and sent sprawling in the sand.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Sorry! Sorry! Oh god I'm so sorry!" said Jaune, scrambling to his feet and offering a hand to help Ruby up. She didn't notice, already halfway to her feet already, and he dropped it back down to his side as she brushed the sand from her hips.

A Ruby-shaped depression, meanwhile, had been made into the mini-Beacon in the sand, flattening the once proud walls and structures and cracking the shell of the cathedral. All lay in ruins as the tide came in and lapped at the edges of the devastation.

"B-Beacon... m-my B-Beacon... bwaah!" Nora cried, sinking to her knees and rubbing her fists into her eyes as a torrent of tears poured forth, looking for all the world like she was half her actual age... if that. Without a word, Ren came over to her side and patted her shoulder.

"I'm sorry!" said Jaune.

Fuming in mock anger, Ruby turned on her feet and faced squarely against Jaune. "It's, hey it wasn't... it's... it's not my fault! Y-Yang, and... well... with the falling...!"

"Alright, that's it! Revenge best served wet! Yang, give me a hand!"

Catching on quickly, the older sister nodded. "You got it, sis! Alley-oop!"

The blonde knelt down in the water, letting it lap at her chin, as Ruby climbed up her back and straddled her shoulders. Her grip secure, Yang stood back up, the duo standing a good two or three feet higher with their might combined.

"Now who dares to challenge the mighty Sister Duo?!" the two girls proclaimed in one voice, eliciting laughter from everyone watching. Even Nora had bounced back from sad to happy in record time. She could always build another sand castle later.

Pyrrha stepped forward, resting a hand on Jaune's shoulder as the boy struggled to his feet. "We accept!" she proclaimed proudly.

He looked at her incredulously. "We do?"

"We do," she said, then softly pushing him down and climbing onto his shoulders in the same fashion as Ruby and Yang had done. Jaune reluctantly did as instructed, standing back up with Pyrrha perched on his shoulders.

"Onward to glory!" she said, arm outstretched, her other hand clinging to his head for support. "Eternal glory or everlasting defeat!"

"I'm not entirely sure this is the best of ideas," Jaune said nervously, but reluctantly complied, holding Pyrrha's knees to make sure she didn't fall off and charging forward as best he could through the salty waters.

Pyrrha and Ruby quickly grappled from their higher perches, as Yang and Jaune continued to support them from below. The girls were laughing, Jaune looked nervous the entire time. For a while they were evenly matched, their wrestling playful and half-hearted at best as Ruby and Pyrrha tried to overpower one another. But then a slip on some loose sand and a stumble on Yang's part caused her orange tube top to slip dangerously low, and Jaune, mere inches away, couldn't help but look. He pinched his nose as he felt blood rush to it, and stumbled much worse, throwing off Pyrrha's balance. With a mighty cry, Ruby took advantage and knocked them both off their feet and into the waters.

The members of Team JNPR went down like a heavy sack of potatoes, Pyrrha tumbling loose from her perch and emerging with a soft laugh as she brushed back her red hair, then belatedly tugging Jaune up out of the water next.

Ecstatic cheers erupted from the mouth of the youngest Beacon student as she threw up her arms and cried out joyously.

"Victory is ours!" Ruby crowed triumphantly, arms raised up. "Victory is ours, for all ti-GWAAAH!"

Ruby cried out as Yang quickly grabbed her ankles and pointedly threw her backwards off her shoulders and into the salty waters, but was laughing when she came back up for air all the same.

"Looks like victory is just mine today, little sis," said the blonde as she started to make her way back to the shore, a little tuckered out from all the rough-housing.

"Bah!" said Ruby, shaking a fist at her sister, spraying droplets everywhere. "Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal! You will rue the  
day you turned on me, Yang Xiao Long! RUUUEE!"

Her older sister took the mature route to that and responded by sticking out her tongue and tugging down on her left eye at her little sister as she sauntered out of the water and back over to her towel to dry off in the sun's rays, taking only a moment to adjust her top and make sure it was properly in place.

"Works every time," she said, a wicked grin stretching across her face.

Smirking, Ruby cast her gaze about for her next victim, then paused as she spotted Weiss nearby all by herself. The white-haired heiress was sitting on a nearby rock outcropping gazing off into the distance, looking like something out of some Renaissance painting. But even Ruby could see she looked forlorn, even a little lonely, so she decided to call out to her.

* * *

"Weiss! Hey Weiss!"

The pale girl glanced over as Ruby made her way towards her, arching a snowy eyebrow at her approach. Weiss tried unsuccessfully to stifle a smile, Ruby looked positively adorable dog-paddling her way over towards her through the waters. Ridiculous for a future Huntress but... still adorable.

"Come join the fun!" Ruby said, climbing up onto the rocks beside her. They were wonderfully smooth thanks to constant exposure to the elements, worn down by wind and waves alike.

"I _am_ having fun..." Weiss replied haughtily. "Besides, take a look at what I found..."

Following her gaze curiously, Ruby leaned over, and gasped at what she saw. A tide pool. An indent in the rocks which had filled with water, and was simply teeming with organic life-forms. Most prominently a number of starfish and small sea urchins, arrayed in a vast display of multicolored tentacles and spines. Much smaller fish swam to and fro between them. It was beautiful. Like a tiny, moving abstract piece of fine artwork.

"Oh so cool...!"

"Careful. Don't touc-..." she paused mid-sentence, seeing Ruby already had a freshly-plucked orange starfish in her hand. "You touched." Why was she surprised?

"Oh come on, it's fun!"

Weiss reached over and gently, gingerly, plucked the starfish out of Ruby's hands, being very careful to hold it as far away from her body as possible. She felt a wave of revulsion wash over her and gave a ladylike shudder.

"It is fragile," she said slowly, as if speaking to a child. "It requires a delicate touch to understand. Nature is not some toy for you to play with. You should be looking, not touching."

"Touching is more fun," pouted Ruby, but seemed inclined to agree as she sat back down on the dark green rocks, leaving the rest of the tide pool alone. Weiss returned the starfish to its habitat.

"So... are you really having fun, or are you just saying that to get me to stop annoying you?" asked Ruby, sliding up beside Weiss and tucking her legs against her chest.

"Yes," Weiss replied enigmatically. Then, shrugging, decided to be a bit more forthcoming. "No, really, this is fun... it's... nice to get out in the sun sometimes. I don't often have a chance to see the world, coming to Beacon was going to change all that."

"And it did! Now you're part of Team Ruby, and things are going to be awesome with all of us together."

"I suppose that's true," Weiss conceded.

"You'd better believe it," Ruby said, grinning like a complete maniac.

Weiss just smiled at that, turning her gaze towards the horizon and letting the winds tug at her white tresses. Ruby just stared in awe. Her partner was always so composed, so graceful, so dignified. Like she was made out glass. It brought to mind a fable that Ruby half-remembered hearing from her childhood.

Something to do with mirrors and how they were reflections of inner beauty rather than outer. It certainly fit. Sure, Weiss Schnee could be cold sometimes, even downright chilly to those she didn't know or care for. But underneath she had a warm, caring heart. Like a mirror, she only reflected what was done to her unto others. And now that she was part of such a good group of friends, they could all see her true beauty shining through.

Ruby smiled at the thought. "You're right though, it is a beautiful view."

And the snowy-haired princess smiled back.

Together they sat by the tide pool as the waves crashed against the beach with a dull, rhythmic whooshing sound, watching the horizon together. Two girls from different backgrounds united by a common desire to become Huntresses, slay Grimm, and protect the innocent. One snow white and one rose red.

* * *

Much later, Yang sat on her blanket, wringing the water from her blonde curls, and glanced over at Blake. The dark-haired girl was still lounging under the shade of a beach umbrella, deeply immersed in a book. She looked like she hadn't stepped out from underneath it since they'd arrived. Rolling her eyes, Yang called out to her.

"Not going in, Blake?"

Amber eyes flicked her way briefly. "Maybe later," she said softly, turning back to her book. "I'm... not the fondest of the water."

_Not_ exactly _a no_, Yang mused, _but seemed an awful lot like one to me_.

Ultimately she shrugged, there was plenty of daylight left after all, maybe she could entice Blake into the invitingly cool waters later. As the other girl went back to her reading, Yang couldn't help but tilt her head, trying to get a look at the book's cover, curious to know what her partner was so engrossed in. She caught a vague outline of some sort of fish on the cover, but couldn't quite make out the title.

"Whatcha readin'?"

"It's the story of a man hunting a monster," she explained.

"Sounds good so far."

"... that died in his final confrontation with it," Blake continued deadpan.

Yang grimaced. "Less good."

"His own obsession and hatred for the beast turned him into a beast himself. He sacrificed everything, even countless innocent lives, for a chance to bring down the enemy that had hurt him. And in the end, it didn't even matter, because he still failed. It... doesn't have a very happy ending," she concluded before turning back to her novel. A moment later, she did add, "It's still a very excellent story though."

Yang didn't look convinced. "I'll bet." Her violet gaze shifted as she tried to find some new topic of conversation, or better yet, some way to politely leave and go have some fun elsewhere. Sensing her friends awkwardness, Blake glanced up from her book to continue the conversation, figuring it would only be polite. However, instead she spotted something strange that instantly drew her attention away.

"Hey, when did he get here?"

Yang glanced up, lifting up her shades for a better view, and felt her jaw drop at the sight. Standing by the edge of the pathway that led down to the beach, right beside where Miss Goodwitch was sitting, was none other than Professor Ozpin himself, decked out in his usual green garments and leaning lightly on his silver cane.

"Oh no, please don't mind me," said the good Professor, adjusting his glasses. "Just... enjoying the daylight. It's most... serene and relaxing, don't you think?"

Glynda didn't say anything, but she looked anything but serene and relaxed. If anything, she looked downright annoyed. But she didn't say anything, and after a while, the students quickly tuned out the presence of their two instructors hovering nearby and went back to their fun. If they had an extra chaperone hanging around, well, what did it really matter?

* * *

Taking the arrival of their headmaster as a cue to start lunch, Jaune and Ren opened up the cooler and heated up the grill, respectively.

"Who wants a drink?" the blonde boy called out, rummaging through the icy contents of the cooler.

"Got water?"

Jaune propped open the cooler to double-check its contents. "Let's see... milk... soda... tropical punch... iced tea... iced tea? Who brought this?"

"That's mine," Blake said, hand outstretched for the thermos she'd packed. "And its herbal tea, not iced," she explained, unscrewing the top and pouring some of the contents into it to use as a cup.

Jaune shrugged, plunking the container down into her hand.

"Uh, where was I...?"

Meanwhile, Ren was demonstrating considerable prowess with the grill, substituting his customary skill with firearms for a pair of tongs and spatula. Burgers and hot dogs he passed out to the hungry students. An offer was made of either to the Beacon teachers, but both politely declined. The former of which claimed he'd had, "quite a hearty breakfast this morning."

Ren flipped the next burger in the air, catching it expertly in the bun, and held it out in his other hand, not even turning his gaze. Seconds later it had completely vanished, only to re-appear like magic in the grip of Nora Valkyrie, who proceeded to messily devour it.

"Thessh arr always the best!"

"Careful," Ren said gently, still not looking in her direction. "You eat too fast you're going to choke on it."

"Oh one time I did that! One time!"

Laughter was shared easily amongst the gathered students as they happily filled their bellies and slaked their thirsts. In addition to the grilled items, bags of chips had been packed away with the drinks. Except for when Yang nearly choked on her third hot dog and Ruby had to smack her on the back to help clear her airway. But it was a minor detail. Their day at the beach was going absolutely swimmingly.

* * *

Hours later, the sun was starting to set on the horizon, tinting the sky a warm shade of crimson and gold. Most of the students were exhausted from all the rough-housing and playing, but it was a good sort of exhausted. A warm glow filled their hearts from the simple fun they'd experienced today with good friends and teammates. It was a good feeling.

"This was awesome!" said Ruby, lounging on her blanket, gazing up at the darkening sky. "We should come visit the beach every weekend!"

"I'm game for that," added Jaune.

Weiss considered that. It _would_ be good team-building outside of their normal classes. Plus, she had to admit to herself, it had been kinda nice to get out and relax a little. Today hadn't been nearly so bad as she'd initially feared. "I suppose that could be fun."

"Aww yeah, that's the spirit Princess!" exclaimed Yang, smacking Weiss on the back almost hard enough to knock her off her feet. Weiss glared at her, but it lacked its usual heat.

"We could bring a net for next time!" said Ruby, hopping to her feet and positively _gushing_ over the possibilities. "Play some beach volleyball! And smash some watermelons! Maybe even play with some fireworks! Oooh we can come at night and go skinny dipping!"

Half of the students quickly turned red as tomatoes, and Ruby's brain caught up with her mouth. "Oh wow, that sounded _waaay_ better in my head..."

Jaune glanced over at his redheaded teammates, and felt blood rush to his face again. He stubbornly pinched his nose.

"I... I don't think that's likely to happen," said Pyrrha, brushing a hand through her hair and using her red tresses to hide her face.

"Well, let's not be toooo hasty," purred Yang, leaning back to give Ren a quick once-over. The dark-haired boy stoically endured the looks from his female classmates.

A semi-awkward silence descended on the beach goers as shadows started to lengthen, and the sun reached the edge of the horizon.

"We should probably think about packing up," interrupted Blake quietly. "It's getting late, and we have class tomorrow in the morning."

"Yeah, she's probably right," added Pyrrha. "Plus Professor Port said there might be a test."

Ruby was on her feet again in an instant, still teeming with energy. "Then I want to hit the waves one last time before we go!"

Yang chuckled, but nodded. "Alright but be quick, don't take forever out there."

Tossing off a salute, the short girl sped back down to the water's edge... mere moments before the water in front of their little party erupted upwards in a great geyser.

"The heck?!"

A roar split the air, and the Beacon students looked up in shock and horror as the waves split and a great black behemoth rose out of the watery depths. A giant black squid, or so it seemed, almost as big as the great Nevermore they'd battled in the Emerald Forest. Dozens of tentacles slipped out of the water, far more than any creature, sea-dwelling or otherwise, had any right to have. And covered in pale markings that were definitely not found on normal ocean-dwelling cephalopods. The front was marked by a white patch of spiked bone covering its face, the customary mask all Grimm bore. Not two, not three, but _four_ crimson eyes glowed within the expanse of pale bone, glaring down at the students with dark malevolence. Below was a gaping mouth filled with more teeth than it had any right to have, all glistening in the fading daylight and sharper than swords. Another roar from the great monstrosity split the air, so loud it sent ripples through the water in all directions.

Of all present, only Professor Ozpin seemed utterly unmoved by the sudden sight of the behemoth.

"Hmmm, a Kraken... that's an odd sight this time of year," he remarked casually.

Glynda frowned at his laidback attitude and was on her feet instantly, drawing her wand as she stepped forward. However, she did not make it more than a foot before a well-worn silver cane swung out and gently blocked her path.

"A-ah... not... not _just_ yet," the silver-haired headmaster instructed.

Fuming quietly behind her glasses, Glynda lowered her wand and flicked her gaze down to the beach where her students were about to start fighting for their lives.

Tentacles came down with the force of small hammers, slapping against the beach as the Kraken made its opening attack, trying to crush the forces of light gathered on the edge of its domain. The students scattered in all directions to avoid them.

Coincidently, the two teams of students, RWBY and JNPR, escaped to separate sides of the thrashing mass of limbs.

"Any ideas?!" asked Ruby as she stood back on shaky feet.

"It's aquatic based, it won't follow us too far from the water!" Weiss shouted.

"In other words: run!"

Her order issued not a second too late, Ruby rolled out of the way of another tentacle that swung over their heads, narrowly missing the crown of Yang's blonde mane as she ducked underneath. More tentacles followed, forcing them to duck and weave in and out amongst the thrashing black limbs to make it to the far side. Further away from the water, and further away from the Grimm Kraken.

A high-pitched scream split the air as Weiss found her ankle caught in the grip of the Kraken's tentacle, which pulled her back towards it and lifted her up into the air, dangling her from her leg upside down.

"It's got me!"

Ruby skidded to a halt in the sand as she saw her partner was in danger. Jaune, not looking where he was going, slammed right into her and bowled them both over into the sands in a mixed up piles of limbs.

Yang and Blake hit the brakes nearby, turning to see the peril of their teammate.

"Get...! Me...! Down...!" shouted Weiss, torn between being terrified and being pissed off.

"Hey, let her go!" shouted Jaune.

"Arc! Watch out!"

Jaune was hit by another mighty tentacle and sent sliding across the sand face-first. When he finally skidded to a halt he had to yank his head out of the ground, spitting out sand that had somehow found its way into his mouth.

"Are you hurt?" Blake called out to him.

"Just my pride..." he muttered, clutching at his side where the beast had hit him. "And... my internal organs... oooh..."

Another snake-like appendage went for Pyrrha, but the red-haired girl executed a flawless backflip right over the appendage to avoid it entirely, landing in a perfect three-point pose. Her head snapped back and she sprinted forward to assist Jaune.

More tentacles came in, as the Kraken roared and gnashed its sharp teeth. Unmindful of the danger surrounding her, Nora took a stand uncomfortably close, planting her foot atop of a small dune to strike a more suitably heroic pose.

"We will fight them on the beaches!" she proclaimed proudly, ignorant of the tentacle slithering around her ankle. "We will-GAH!"

The redhead was yanked off her feet and into the air to join Weiss' predicament. It still didn't do much to phase her.

"Hey Weiss!" she said, waving.

"Get me down NOW!" the Schnee heiress continued to scream, ignoring her new comrade-in-captivity.

The Kraken's inky tentacles slithered around the two girls, possibly intent to crush them or tear them apart. However, the reaction that happened instead was... unexpected, to say the least.

"Hey that tickles!" giggled Nora, still fighting to get free. "Stoo-oh-ohp!"

"Oh god it's IN MY SWIMSUIT!" Weiss shrieked, her cheeks tinting pink.

Blake's amber eyes widened until they almost fell out of her head, and Yang gave a whistle.

"Well... that's certainly new..." remarked Ren casually.

"GET ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!"

"Coming!" shouted Ruby, silver eyes casting about the beach.

_Need a weapon, where's a weapon?!_ thought Ruby, glancing around, desperate to find something. _Come on! A heavy rock, a sharp stick, heck at this point I'd settle for a... there_!

Ruby kicked the base of one of the beach umbrellas, knocking it into her hand, and then ripped it clean out of the ground. Folding it shut, she sprang at the Kraken, swinging her makeshift weapon at the tentacles holding its captives. One strike bent the umbrella in two, the next one shattered the pole. However, it served its purpose, and the great black beast recoiled in pain, releasing its captives.

"Aaaah!" Weiss screamed, dropping out of the sky suddenly, limbs flailing.

Reacting quickly, Blake grabbed up her beach blanket, tossed the far ends to Yang, and tugged hers taut. The blonde immediately did the same, and between the two of them, they caught Weiss in the middle, giving her a soft bounce back to her feet off of the makeshift trampoline.

Nora fell without any such safety net, but seconds before she hit the ground there was a sudden flash and a body flying through the air, and moments later Ren landed on the sand with Nora safely nestled in his arms.

"My hero!" she proclaimed cheerfully, giving him a hug. Well accustomed to Nora's... eccentric behavior... Lie Ren decided not to make any sort of comment. He just sprang forward and out of the way of another lashing tentacle moments before it crushed the two of them.

The Kraken, thwarted and very angry, let loose another ear-splitting roar. Seagulls took to the skies, flying as far away from the encroaching Grimm as possible. Only one bird lingered in the distance as the rest fled into the horizon, a black crow settled atop of a nearby rock. It gave a caw as the battle unfolded before it.

* * *

Tentacles flailed wildly as the Kraken drew itself partially out of the water and up onto the shore, closer to the Beacon students. Four or five came slamming down into the sand as the kids narrowly ducked, dodged, and rolled out of their way. It still wasn't terribly well coordinated but it was getting better the more it fought them.

"Jeez, rude much?" asked Yang, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"We were having fun!" yelled Ruby, angry that the stupid Grimm had ruined her mini-vacation. She shook her fist at it.

Another tentacle slammed down, and the sisters were forced to go opposite ways to avoid it.

"We're no good here without our weapons," intoned Ren, setting Nora back on her feet a short distance away from the attacking Kraken. Despite the danger he was still keeping his cool. "We should retreat."

"Agreed!"

"Got my vote!"

The two teams took off in a sprint to get as far away from the water's edge as possible.

However, this was where the two Beacon teachers finally stepped in.

"Now."

At Professor Ozpin's polite nod, Glynda finally stepped forward and made a sweeping gesture with her wand across the beach, and eight points of light appeared. One in front of each of the students, rapidly spreading out in a kaleidoscope of colors. Eight magical circles of multicolored light expanded from the points, and from within each runed circle a silver chest appeared, bearing the Beacon emblem of two crossed hatchets. As the light from her spell faded each chest popped open, revealing...

"Crescent Rose!" Ruby picked up her beloved weapon, hugging it close to her chest. "Oh my beloved, let us never be parted again."

"Myrtenmeister!" exclaimed Weiss, grabbing up her own weapon and checking its rotating cartridges.

Blake and Yang retrieved their own weapons, the latter slapping them onto her wrists and letting them unfold along her arms.

Jaune's team also quickly found their weapons in their respective chests, and armed themselves as best they could. The two teams now turned to face their opponent, looking deadly serious despite their unusual garments.

Ruby and Jaune, at the front of the makeshift ensemble, glanced between one another.

"Shall we?" she asked politely, unfolding her weapon into its customary scythe form.

"Ladies first," he replied gallantly, drawing his family sword and opening his shield up, assuming a combat stance.

Giving a wordless battle cry that was quickly picked up by the others, Ruby and Jaune charged forward, leading their teams. The Kraken gave a mighty roar of its own and lashed out, slapping at the sandy ground in front of them, forcing them to scatter. Ruby intercepted a pair of tentacles going for Pyrrha, slicing them to pieces with her scythe and propelling herself forward. Ren and Blake followed suit in a zigzag pattern, slicing up ebony limbs into so much wicked calamari as they sped across the sand.

Unfortunately, this beast had a few more tricks up its sleeves. As the students watched, the severed tentacles began to heal. More than that, new lengths of inky flesh stretched out from the previous cuts, and seconds, they were good as new.

"It regenerates?!"

"Well that hardly seems fair," muttered Pyrrha, catching her shield as it flew back to her and slipping it onto her back as she flipped her spear into rifle mode and blasted at the Kraken's body.

"Blind it!" shouted Weiss, lifting up her rapier and conjuring some runes. A flash of bluish light conjured six tiny stars in front of her, and they lashed out like miniature meteors, pummeling the Kraken's hideous face as it roared in pain.

"Aim for its mask!"

A barrage of explosive canisters (tipped with pink heart images) were sent flying at the aquatic Grimm, courtesy of Nora Valkyrie's hand cannon. But to her immense shock, the beast simply opened up its great mouth and _swallowed_ her shots. It then lashed out with two of its larger tentacles from opposite directions, forcing her to fire at the ground and propel herself upwards and out of the way before she was hit.

Ruby rolled over to where Ren, Yang, and Blake were, and the foursome opened fire, bullets peppering the Kraken's form while Nora was caught by gravity's embrace and began to return earthward, coming down with a hammer strike atop of the Kraken's head. It roared in pain upon impact, shaking it off then grabbed the redhead girl and flung her off into the distance.

"Nora!"

"Watch out!"

Jaune intercepted two tentacles going straight for Ren with his shield, bouncing them off harmlessly as he dug his feet into the sand and knocked them away. However, they quickly came back, forcing the two boys into retreat. Another bullet barrage from the team to the side caught the Kraken's attention, however, and it lashed out at the shooters. They all rolled out of the way. Yang, however, wasn't quite fast enough, and the tentacle caught on her bathing suit top. It ripped clean off, and she quickly slapped her left arm over her exposed body to cover herself modestly as she stood back up.

"You monster!" she screamed, throwing punch after punch with her right arm. Shotgun blasts echoed across the beach as the impacts hit the side of the Kraken, but like before, didn't seem to be doing much damage.

"You! Damn! Mother! F-!"

White light materialized around Yang's feet, cutting her of mid-curse as Weiss bounded to her side, and her flash step runes launched them both skyward seconds before another tentacle slammed down in the spot where they'd just been.

"-ing! PERVERT!" Yang screamed, firing off a last parting shot over Weiss' shoulder.

Nora had finally crawled out of the ocean and back into the fray, and together she and Ren peppered the Kraken's hide with blasts, keeping it off-guard and distracted, driving it back slowly. Everyone else had fallen back to confer and recuperate.

"We're just tickling this thing!" said Jaune. "How the heck can we beat it?!"

"Maybe we don't have to!" argued Weiss, rolling the cartridges of her rapier and checking the dust content. Low, but workable. Unfortunately she lacked what she needed to freeze the water around the Kraken. "Maybe we can call in a tactical withdrawal and assess our options to re-engage at another time."

"A what?"

"Run away," translated Blake. "Live to fight another day."

"It does make sense," said Pyrrha. "This isn't a class assignment. Someone else can handle this Grimm. It's not our duty."

"All Grimm are going to be our duty someday," argued Ruby. "And if we can't take of this stupid thing here and now, with all of us? Well... I think some of us might need to re-consider our career choices."

The others glanced between themselves, even as the battle raged behind them. The Kraken was sufficiently distracted by their teammates, but they wouldn't be able to hold it off for too much longer. They had to make a decision and quickly.

"She has a point," said Yang, still covering herself with her left arm.

Blake nodded. "Then we stay and fight"

Reluctantly, Weiss agreed as well. She hadn't come to Beacon to learn how to sew and knit, after all. "Fine, then we hit it with everything we've got and then some!"

"YEAH!"

With spirits renewed, the two teams charged forward, hollering various battle cries.

"Attack!"

"Get 'em!"

"For Beacon!"

"For the Light!"

"For our ancestors!"

"For pony!" crowed Yang, almost laughing.

A sweeping tentacle attack knocked them all away mid-charge, knocking the Beacon students back to land, fall, stumble and crash onto the sand. The Kraken's roaring echoed, almost sounding like mocking laughter as the aquatic Grimm shrugged off almost any attack thrown at it like it was nothing.

Blake gave a low growl, amber eyes narrowing to dangerous slits.

The dark-haired girl fired off her Gamboul Shroud, holding tight to the ribbon attached to it. When it sunk into the Kraken's dark hide, she gave a sharp tug. Not to draw it towards her, but to draw herself towards it. She flew through the air, drawing out her blade in the same motion, and slashed at the monster's side as she came speeding towards it.

The Kraken slapped at the annoying pest with its tentacle, trying to knock Blake into range of its snapping jaws. She kicked off, moving so fast she left an after-image of herself, and skipped to the other side of the great beast, slashing at it hard with the bladed edge of her weapon. So focused was she on her furious attack, however, she failed to notice the next tentacle speeding her way until it slapped hard into her midsection.

Ruby was already in motion, speeding across the ground towards the Kraken as the girl in the bow and bikini went flying.

Blake hit the ground hard, and her weapon went flying through the air out of her grip. Ruby skidded to a halt and stood on her tiptoes as it sailed past her, snagging a piece of bathing suit on the way, ripping it right across her stomach. Half a millimeter deeper and her intestines would've been spilling out all over the sand.

"Oh that is IT!" she roared.

Folding up her scythe into its rifle form she took aim and fired at the Grimm's eyes. Blast after blast impacted, and the Kraken gave a most satisfying roar of pain. Evidently its hide was thick, but its eyes were sensitive. She might not have been able to leave behind permanent damage, but she could certainly make the thing regret it had ever tangle with the likes of Ruby Rose!

"Take that!" Boom! "And that!" Boom! "And one of these!" Click. "And also... huh?"

Click. Click. Click.

"Ooops! Forgot to reload," she realized, ducking her head sheepishly.

"Ruby!" shouted Blake, noticing a new danger.

"Look out!"

She threw up Crescent Rose in a shielding position, but before she could fire or dodge, the newest attacking tentacle tightened, pinning Ruby's weapon at her side. Along with her arms. She gave a cry as she felt pressure start to build. Unlike before, it didn't bother to pull her along or dangle her over its open mouth. No, the Kraken tightened its tentacle like an anaconda, intent to squeeze little Ruby in its grip until her head popped clean off.

"YAAAH!"

Down came the Arc Family Ancestral Sword. Off came the wicked Kraken's vile tentacle.

And unlike earlier cuts and slashes made by the students weapons, this wound seemed to linger. The tentacle did not regenerate like the others had. Jaune wasted no time trying to pull the disgusting length of black blubber and muscle off of Ruby, trying to untangle her from it. Alas, it still had the poor girl in a very tight grip and wasn't easily dislodged.

"You alright?" he asked, heaving on a particularly troublesome segment.

"Think I'll be fine..." she replied, surveying the damage he'd done with his sword. "Wow... nicely done, Jaune."

He tried to smile non-chalantly. "All in a day's wor-whoa!"

Jaune had to duck another tentacle coming his way, deflecting it back with his shield. The motion knocked Ruby off her feet and onto her side, where she proceeded to roll along the beach incline. This did serve the purpose of unwrapping her from the tentacle, but also left her woozy and light-headed at the end of her impromptu roll.

"I think I'm gonna hurl," she said, hand over her mouth as she stood on shaky feet.

Another roar echoed across the beach, nearly knocking Ruby off her feet as the Kraken advanced, drawing itself up out of the water and onto the land, beaching itself in an effort to get closer to the poor Beacon students. Its eyes shone like hot coals as it glared angrily, tentacles lashing out in a wild frenzy.

Up, down, left, right, no wait, left again. Ruby ducked and dodged and rolled away from her adversary, followed closely by Jaune. They were passed by Ren as he ran the other way, hopping up onto one tentacle and using as a stepping stone to launch himself skywards. There, he effortlessly performed a flip and roll, blasting with his dual pistols at the Kraken before planting his feet on top of its head and kicking off, springing back to the farthest edge of its reach. His shots took out two of the four eyes on the left side of the creatures face.

Ruby wasted no time quickly reloaded, firing off a quick shot and slashed out with Crescent Rose, blinding the remaining two eyes. However, they were slowly regenerating. The Kraken wasn't just tough, it seemed like it was invulnerable. The only attack that had seemed to hurt it had been...

"Wait..." she said, hand upraised. Silver eyes flicked over the battlefield, taking in the sight of the Kraken, watching how it moved, and recalling all the basic lore she knew about Grimm. In that instant, a plan came to mind.

"Pin its tentacles and hold it steady!" she shouted, charging forward and leaping up, swinging her scythe down. The tip dug into the sandy ground, taking one of the Kraken's tentacles with it. It writhed helplessly from its new pinned position, right where she wanted it.

Four more inky limbs spread out and surged forward.

Pyrrha slapped aside one with her shield, then caught the other and jammed her spear down hard, pinning it to the ground. At the far end of the battlefield, Ren did the same with both of his, pinning them with the mantis blades of his guns.

Sufficiently pinned, the Kraken was helpless to avoid another barrage from Nora's grenade launcher, all of which impacted hard against its tough skin. But the bright flashes distracted it sufficiently that it didn't see Blake and Weiss zigzagging their way across the sand towards it. Blake got in close, ducking low and firing up, her gun spitting out bullets at close range as she aimed for the Kraken's quadruple eyes, taking out its vision.

Weiss on the other hand launched herself high and came down hard. Her rapier lit up a bright white, runes trailing across the blade as she came down with the speed and fury of a bolt of lightning, drawing a wickedly jagged cut across the Kraken's face. It would take a few seconds for that to regenerate. During that time it was helpless and vulnerable.

Ruby turned to the swordsman beside her. "Jaune...!"

"Finishing blow, got it! Can you give me a lift?" asked Jaune.

"Right! Better clench up!"

Ruby grabbed Jaune's side as she planted herself on her scythe and fired off a shot, launching them both into the air. She pushed off midway through the arc, landing back in the sand, as Jaune followed through. His aura blazed brightly into being as he focused all of it through his family's ancestral sword, gripping it tightly between both hands and angling the blade down. As he came down he swung with all of his might, bringing the sword down to impale the Kraken with it. Right through its bloated, ugly head and sinking deep into its twisted black brain.

For a long moment, everyone held their breath as the Kraken seemed to freeze, then toppled forward onto the beach, dead as the proverbial door knob. Its tentacles writhed for perhaps a moment or two more, then lay perfectly still.

Jaune had rolled off when it crashed onto the beach, sitting up and rubbing the sand out of his hair as a dainty hand appeared in his field of vision.

"Did we win?" he asked, slightly dazed.

Ruby smiled, helping him up. "We won," she affirmed.

* * *

The body of the Grimm was already starting to fall apart, inky wisps trailing into the air before vanishing as its darkness-crafted body began to dissolve. Back into the nothingness from which it had originally been created.

"Well, that was... interesting," muttered Weiss, plucking some limp seaweed from her soggy hair and tossing it aside. It slapped Jaune in the face, clinging to it as he gave a beleaguered groan.

Nearby, Ren was pounding the aches out of his back, stretching his limbs to ensure everything was properly in place like he liked it to be. Nora was back on her feet in seconds, seemingly unphased by the sudden death battle. Pyrrha and Blake were equally unharmed, but much more subdued and graceful in their victory.

Ruby had found her big sisters towel and the busty blonde had wrapped it around her body under her arms, tying it in a knot to keep it in place, looking for all the world like she'd just stepped out of the shower. Wearing her gauntlets. At least she hadn't ruined her hair this time.

"Well that was certainly interesting," Professor Ozpin remarked, hobbling down to the beachside casually, like he witnessed this sort of thing every day. He probably did. He was just a little too casual, in fact. Ruby had a fleeting impression that he'd known that the Kraken was in the vicinity of their beach, and would be attracted to the large body of people with strong auras nearby. But really, that was just ridiculous. Professor Ozpin was one of the good guys... there was no way he'd use them as bait for something like that. Or set this up as some sort of crazy test. Was there?

"No serious injuries, I trust?" he asked quietly, flicking his gaze to each student in turn. When nobody responded, he nodded thoughtfully. "Good, good... Miss Goodwitch? I think we're done here."

A magical aura lit up the weapons of the Beacon students, and they saw it originated from the tip of Miss Goodwitch's wand, the sorceress teacher having cast another spell. As one, their instruments of destruction vanished back into thin air where they'd been conjured from.

"Your weapons have been returned to their respective lockers," Glynda explained. "You may retrieve them in the morning at your convenience before classes tomorrow."

Professor Ozpin took a moment to adjust his glasses, his golden gaze flicking over each of the future Hunters and Huntresses before him. "Alright students, you've had an eventful day, now it's time you all got home and to bed. Remember, you have classes in the morning still."

"At nine a.m. sharp," Miss Goodwitch reminded them, before crisply turning on her heel and strolling back up the path. Professor Ozpin hobbled after her, leaning heavily on his cane, and her gait slowed so he could keep pace with her.

Groans of exhaustion replaced cheers of joy, as the beleaguered students of Beacon grabbed what things of theirs they could and trudged back up the path back to the Academy dormitories. Jaune and Ren grabbed up the cooler, and Nora rolled the mini grill along after them, while everyone else distributed the towels and beach chairs and umbrellas between them. Broken or otherwise, they wouldn't leave anything behind. The corpse of the Kraken would take care of itself, at least.

Ruby was last, reluctantly wrapping her customary cloak around her shoulders to stave off the cool breeze of early evening. She took a moment to gaze back down at the beach. The tide was already coming in, soon all the tears and gouges in the sand would be washed away like the battle with the Kraken had never taken place, and by next week, it would be as beautiful as it had ever been.

She smiled at that. It seemed appropriate.

No matter what horrible monsters the darkness threw at them, the light would always prevail, and the world would be made a better place for it.

Ruby Rose skipped down the path after her classmates and big sister, singing to herself.

* * *

**Authors Notes:  
**I'd like to think I tossed in more than my fair share of foreshadowing and symbolism, which this series is chock full of.

The book Blake was reading was somewhat unsubtly "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville. It seemed triply appropriate for both her, her implied backstory with Adam and the beach trip itself.


End file.
